Welcome!

I am an author, actor, and attorney living and loving in the DFW (metroplex) area. I love books, theatre, movies, and legalese. I've been in plays, short-films, feature films and when I am not working on my debut novel "Black Scorpion Trilogy Book 1: The Veil", I enjoy reviewing plays for The Column Online and representing the down-trodden in legal matters. Thanks for stopping by. If I can help you in anyway, just let me know. I'm your paraclete. -E-

Reviewed by
Eric A. Maskell, Associate Theater Critic for John Garcia's THE
COLUMN

_____________________________THE
7_______________________________

Reviewed by Eric A.
Maskell, Associate Theater Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

Unlike
other plays where the audience sits back and watches a story unfold, The 7 by
Sundown Collaborative Theatre is an emotionally, visceral experience that
demands intellectual attendance. The 7 is an original creation by Sundown
Collaborative Theatre based on the 7 deadly sins set against a backdrop of Greek
mythology.

The set design and costumes were minimalist in nature, keeping
the heart and soul of this production grounded in the performances of the actors
and ensemble. The performance was held in the Green Space Arts Collective
building. The stage encompassed the entire dance studio giving the performers
ample room for display.

The set consisted of a few black curtained areas
and a large white curtained area. During the performance the cast would enter
the large white curtain area with a back light allowing their shadows to be cast
on the white curtain. This often times represented the underworld or the gateway
to the underworld.

The costumes consisted of black outfits in various
forms (shorts, pants, skirts, etc.) with one colored piece of clothing denoting
the main character of each segment. As the segments changed the "new" main
character would don a colored item such as a red scarf or purple shirt. The
simplicity of it was remarkably well done and allowed the audience to easily
follow who the main character was.

The first segment, Wrath, involves
the Greek story of Persephone. In the story, Persephone is aggressively shielded
by her mother from the world. Persephone is not allowed to love, laugh or live.
This sheltering sends Persephone into a wrathful rage resulting in death and
destruction. Marti Etheridge did an excellent job portraying the wrathful
Persephone. Marti's angry outbursts and high energy conveyed the frustrations of
Persephone well. The ensemble cast performed well in their roles of love
interests and supporting characters. The only downside to the segment was the
god of the underworld played by Candace Cockerham. The god of the underworld
part was down played and the impact was lost on the audience. It resulted in the
god of the underworld becoming just another face in the endless parade of
characters on stage.

The next segment, Gluttony, revolves around
Erysichthon, played by Jerome Beck, who is cursed with insatiable gluttony for
cutting down a sacred tree. Beck was at top form in his portrayal. His anguished
cries and pleas at his plight were intense. You could feel the frustration of
his character at not being able to satisfy his hunger. You could see the
intensity in Beck's arms as he clenched his fists in outrage at his situation.
For the most part this segment was a monologue for Beck, but one stand out
ensemble moment was when the cast formed a moaning, whispering tree with gnarled
branches that was simply outstanding. It was elegant and creepy at the same
time. As the branches swayed and the whispering moans echoed throughout the
theatre you could feel a sense of sad humanity as Beck extolled, "It was just a
piece of wood…right?"

The third segment, Sloth, is an interpretative
dance piece centered on the Greek story of Daphne, played by Candace Cockerham,
and Apollo, played by Nicholas Ross. The story, as told, involves Daphne, who is
shot with the arrow of apathy, being pursued by Apollo, who is shot with the
arrow of love. The opposing feelings drive Daphne to avoid the situation by
transforming into a tree. The ensemble cast in this segment played trees that
beckoned and swayed for Daphne to join them while blocking Apollo from his goal.
The dance routines were fair and unpolished. The facial expressions of both
Cockerham and Ross were performed admirably. In each embrace with Ross,
Cockerham's face expressed true apathy while Ross's face portrayed only desire.
The segment is akin to a battle for one woman's soul. As Apollo attempts to win
the love of Daphne, the trees block and counter each attempt. The frustration
builds until the final culmination of Daphne becoming a tree. Ross did an
excellent job of conveying his loss as he bestowed one final kiss and consigned
himself to becoming part of Daphne's tree.

The fourth segment, Lust, is
the Greek story of Eurydice played by Tashina Richardson who sheds her lustful
past when love is bestowed upon her by Orpheus, played by Kelsey Macke. When
Eurydice is dragged to the underworld, Orpheus attempts to save her. In this
segment the ensemble cast played agents of the underworld who spirit away
Eurydice. Richardson did an amazing job portraying the lustful Eurydice. At the
end, when she is extolling her love for Orpheus you could see the tears and
anguish on her face as she attempts to climb from the underworld to once again
relish in the true love bestowed upon her. Kelsey Macke did a wonderful job
playing the guitar and singing. Nicholas Ross' bongo drums added a moody
rhythmic component to the segment that only seemed to increase the intensity.

The fifth segment, Envy, was the story of Phaeton, played by Nicholas
Ross. Phaeton is the son of the sun god and his only desire is to drive his
father's chariot. His father, played by George Ferrie refuses. The ensemble cast
portrayed the chariot. Nicholas Ross did an excellent job at portraying Phaeton
as the envious youth only wanting what he wanted without realizing the
consequences. Ross's facial expressions and youthful exuberance in trying to
convince his father to let him drive the chariot were often times comical. In
fact, this segment was the only one to receive any laughter during the entire
performance. The performances were exaggerated and fit well within the framework
of the story. The style, along with flash cards for dialogue, mirrored an old
black and white silent film era.

The sixth segment, Greed, is the story
of King Midas' daughter Marigold, portrayed by both Marti Etheridge and Kelsey
Macke. In this segment the ensemble cast portrayed the king's loyal subjects as
well as the surrounding landscape. The most memorable being that of the stream
that the king and Marigold walk next too. The stream was complete with rippling
water made real by the undulating arms and fingers of the ensemble. Etheridge
played Marigold as Kelsey Macke voiced Marigold through narration. The king was
portrayed by Jerome Beck. Macke did an amazing job as Marigold. She started out
slowly, as if telling a story about someone else, and then peaked at her rage at
being turned back into "normal". The facial expressions and body language was
perfectly attuned to the character. When she was gold and amazed at her beauty,
Macke's eyes gleamed bright-eyed with a childlike innocence. When she was
returned to normal her voice saddened and she became disgusted at her father's
"selfishness" at wanting his daughter back only to be denied once again. Her
character ran the gambit of emotions and Macke was strong every step of the way.
This segment, compared to the others, went a little too long and the impact of
the finality was lost.

The final segment, Pride, was the story of
Sisyphus played by George Ferrie. According to the notes, Sisyphus was a king
that took pleasure in tricking, torturing and killing people. Upon his death,
because of his pride, he was forever forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill
and watch it roll back down. In this segment Ferrie portrayed Sisyphus well. His
facial expressions changed with each victim he came in contact with. The
ensemble cast played the victims of his killing rampage. Ferrie was a gifted
expressionist and was able to convey with a mere glance the intention of his
character. Whether it was lust or murder, Ferrie did an admirable job portraying
that feeling without uttering a word. The story was basically Sisyphus torturing
and killing people over and over again. The story culminated when the dead
grappled onto Sisyphus and attempted to pull him down. The issue with the
boulder was lost during the story and I was left feeling that the segment was
somehow incomplete.

The performance included a finale where each actor
came forward and gave a brief monologue regarding the sin that he or she
portrayed. The finale was definitely worth listening too and invited the
audience to look harder at sins and look deeper into their own souls.

The performance was only about an hour long but the impact, if allowed,
could last a lifetime. The performers were spent and you could tell that all
their energy was left on the stage. As the audience left it felt as if we had
been there for days. Fighting. Loving. Languishing. Performance art is designed
to inspire. It is designed to peak curiosity and engage the senses. The 7 by
Sundown Collaborative Theatre did exactly that.

Reviewed by Eric A.
Maskell, Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE
COLUMN

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

I usually don't get mainstream or political but correct me if I'm wrong. I think we could just scale back the scope of things and view everything from a small town neighborhood perspective. So, on 9/11 Muslims "protesting" attacked US Embassies and killed 4 Americans. They attacked embassies in Egypt and Libya. I read an article that said the protests were because an Israeli film-maker made an anti-islam film and talked smack about Mohammed. This may or may not be true. It seems convenient that it happened on 9/11. Looks more like an attack calculated on the day of the previous attacks as a violent remembrance...a sort of candle light vigil with rocket propelled grenades. Either way here is my issue:

Say you had a neighbor. This neighbor was difficult to deal with and at times confrontational. This neighbor has never really been the "ideal" neighbor and sometimes you wonder why you have any dealings with them at all. This neighbor lives in part of the neighborhood that you would like to have more "friends" in so you tolerate their outbursts. Ok. So you decide you need to store some stuff at this neighbors house. They let you put it in their garage and offer to take care of it.

Thieves break in and trash your neighbors house. You offer to help clean it up.

The following week the Cowboys lose (or any pro, college or whatever team) and this neighbor goes into the garage, takes a baseball bat and smashes your stuff. Then the neighbor calls you and tells you that you suck, you are evil and they never wanted your help in the first place.

Is that too simple? Am I getting this wrong? Oh wait...thats right...there is probably something in there about oil reserves or stuff like that but come on people...4 dead.